The Saga of a New India
There comes an epochal moment in the history of every nation which goes on to define the destiny of its people. When General Dyer ordered his British troops to open fire at a group of innocent Indians during the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, he would have hardly realized that his action could trigger the beginning of the end of the British rule in India. Well General Dyer was loyally serving the purpose of his empire. However, what he would not have realized is that his dedication to his empire’s cause could unite a disjointed, bruised and battered nation against his very empire. The phrase “bruised and battered” has found its way back into Indian history’s vocabulary this past week, however in a far less gruesome but equally significant context. This time in the context of a sport that India, as a nation, loves to the extent of reverence — cricket.
As Josh Hazlewood ran through the Indian batting line-up in his usual gait and rhythm during that fateful afternoon in Adelaide, virtually decimating his guests on home soil, he could have hardly imagined that the number “36” would not only haunt his guests but also his own nation for ages to come. For 36 would now go on to become the code for rebirth, the chant that caused the “phoenix” to rise. Josh Hazlewood or his teammates are definitely not a General Dyer by the virtue of their actions, but what they did gave an otherwise nonchalant team a rude awakening of their powers.
It is difficult not to draw parallels between the Indian cricket team’s current “miraculous” feat (2–1 test series win in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020–21) to the Indian struggle for independence. At the start of the series, Virat Kohli declared that his team represented the “New India”. Kohli, who was to head home for the birth of his child after the first test in Adelaide, is undoubtedly the revolutionary spearhead of this outfit. Like Shaheed Udham Singh’s hanging for killing Governor Dwyer as an act of vengeance for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre incited the Indian masses, Kohli’s departure for family duties meant his boys had to step up against the Australian team’s might. Such was Kohli’s significance to the series that cricket pundits across Australia and England wrote India’s obituaries post Adelaide. That is when stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane’s Gandhi rose to the fore with his innocuous appeal for non-cooperation in Melbourne.
Rahane chose to not co-operate with the conventional. He chose to not co-operate with the belief that visiting teams can only win games if they win the toss and bat first, he chose to not co-operate with the tradition that a finger spinner could only be introduced into the attack once the ball gets old. Rahane, known for his steely character, displayed every character of the metal in Melbourne. He was strong and formidable in his captaincy, and heavily resistant in his batting. Like Gandhi’s appeal for non-cooperation in 1920 started counter-punching the British empire in ways they did not apprehend, here was a man, almost similar in stature and philosophy, who decided that the only way out from the dark corner of Adelaide was to punch back till his opponents could make any sense of what struck them. To aid his cause were a bunch of mavericks (Jadeja, Bumrah, Ashwin, Siraj) who chose to channel their skills and execute the tactical plans for the team’s cause. The non-cooperation succeeded and the playing field was now level — Ind-1 Aus-1.
While Rahane’s non-cooperation helped India draw level, the enigma around India’s fightback was to be figured out soon. The leg-side traps to dismiss Steve Smith, the straight bowling lines from India’s pacers and the depleting potency of India’s pace attack became obvious. India’s tactical puzzle was resolved by the maverick master in the rival clan, Steve Smith. Smith’s century in Sydney was a la-Chauri Chaura moment in India’s freedom struggle. India’s non-cooperation was to be brought to a jolting halt in Sydney. With 130 overs to tackle against a highly disciplined nemesis, the death knells for India could be heard at a distance. What the Aussies forgot was that Chauri Chaura gave birth to the Hindustan Republican Association, a group of rebels who would go on to plot one of the most famous heists in India’s freedom journey. The Kakori conspiracy of 1925 was a train robbery meant to steal weaponry from the British to be used in the war against them. As if drawing inspiration from that heist, a bunch of young rebels (Pant, Vihari) in unison with their experienced seniors (Pujara, Ashwin) in the Indian team decided to pull off a heist in Sydney. Pant’s aggression and Pujara’s intent saw India fend off Australia for almost half of the last day in Sydney, however the job was far from over when both were back to the pavilion. That is when Vihari and Ashwin pulled a Chandrashekhar Azad on the Aussies. In the disguise of inexperience and lesser batting talents respectively, they battled the Aussie storm for 200+ balls in what would become a stuff of folklore for this generation. The heist of Sydney was pulled off and India managed to live another day, going into their final battle in Brisbane.
As India headed to Brisbane, the visitors were left with even fewer ammunition losing key players like nine pins. It was no surprise that Aussie captain Tim Paine was eager to host his guests at the Gabbatoir, a ground where Australia is known to butcher its opponents over the past 32 years. As India reached Brisbane, the talk was all about how Australia could win the test match — how much should they score, when should they declare, how much time would they need to bowl out India. With a formidable target of 329 posted and the machinery-like efficiency of their bowling attack, Australia were set to win the war even if they lost a few battles. However by now, Australia was conscious that this motley crew of Indians was not made of mere flesh, that their spirits were far stronger than their bodies. India’s coach Ravi Shastri told his prodigies that if they give all that they have on the Australian soil, their hosts would love and remember them forever. His message to them on the last day of the Gabba test was to “do it for one last time” before they departed the Aussie shores. While Shastri is the antithesis to Gandhi, his proclamation of “Do or Die” was reminiscent of the latter’s message to the Indian masses in the wake of the Quit India movement of 1942. The British weakened by the burden of World War II were up against a resurgent country, full of independence-crazy individuals. That afternoon in Brisbane, Gill’s charisma, Pujara’s resolve, Washington’s guts and Pant’s madness meant India’s seige to Fort Gabba was a reality. As Pant’s on-drive touched the boundary ropes, his bat resembled a sword that had slaughtered its opponents in spirit. The Indian flag was now hoisted high, fluttering in the glory of an indomitable, resurgent India — the New India!
